James 5:19-20 -- My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.
As I closed out my time with the Lord in James 5, the final 2 verses jumped out and as I thought on them, I was led to Proverbs 27:6.
Proverbs 27:6 -- Faithful are the wounds of a friend [who corrects out of love and concern], But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful [because they serve his hidden agenda].
You can't have a true healthy relationship without honest communication. How many times do we hold back speaking truth, even in love, because we don't want to hurt or offend? While we hold back in fear, the world has no problem prettying up lies and deceit to look like beautiful kisses.
If you love someone, prove it by speaking the truth in love. Not being critical, judging, or hateful, but filtering whatever it is through Jesus, through the Word and being gentle and loving. It may look cold and gray or even wound at first, but there is love at its core. In the end as James 5:19-20 says it can save a person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many things.
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